If my child and I are threatened by a vagrant, what can I legally do to protect us?

Question

I live in Michigan. My daughter (2 years old) attends a daycare in a building that also houses a work program for people on welfare, etc. The area attracts some vagrants from time to time. This morning, I was approaching the entrance with my daughter and there was a a lady standing there talking. I thought she was talking to me, but it was apparent after a moment she was talking to herself. My daughter smiled at her and told her she was going to school and the lady responded, "You better STFU!" I went to alert the security on site, but they did nothing really. She was even allowed to come inside the building briefly.

I was just wondering, what I could do to defend myself if there were no police or security around. If had some items in my purse - a comb with a long thin handle, scissors or something similar, what could I use to protect my daughter and I without getting into trouble with the law?

Thank you.

Answer 1

mace, you could go to a city board meeting and bring it up-saying its not safe and tell them your experience. call the city first to see if you need to have anything ready before the meeting.

Answer 2

Protecting your precious daughter at any cost should not bring any consequences against you. Pepper spray is good, electronic zappers are too if they are legal in MICH....carrying a whislte in your purse or some other kind of personal alarm is good too for attracting attention to yourself if heaven forbid the case should ever arise.Taking some kind of self-defence lessons might work too.  Many children are abuducted and sexually abused if not all together murdered in today's society and we MUST protect them all at ANY cost to the perpetrators involved. We need stiffers laws to keep these SCUMS off are streets and keep all are precious children safe AT ANY COST. May GOD BLESS and be with you always.

Answer 3

Find a different daycare.  Can you imagine your shock when you go to pick up your child and she isn't there because some idiot vagrant came and took her away?  This isn't the safest spot for a daycare.  

Answer 4

I don't think 'STFU' counts as a threat.

Why don't you be a normal parent, and stop your child from talking to people who are obviously in difficulties?

Answer 5

Having the lady talk ugly is not necessarily a threat.  The most concerning thing you wrote to me is that the lady somehow entered the building.  I would make sure the building security takes steps to correct that or I would report it to the state licensing board.  That is a serious breach of security.  Most vagrants aren't dangerous, but you should never assume it's not going to be a problem.  As far as defense, I wouldn't want my child to witness any kind of violent attack.  You should be prepared for a defense, maybe with just your car keys, but if you feel that threatened in the area of your daycare, you may be better off with a different daycare.

Answer 6

YOU AND YOUR DAUGHTER was not threatened whatsoever according to your story, the lady in the story is talking to herself when you and your daughter approaches. Even your daughter as you told us here even smiled to the lady standing there. So from the start there is no threat either to you or your daughter upon entering the said place.

And when the lady responded by telling your child of ' YOU BETTER STFU' I do not even know what STFU means but nevertheless, it means something but where is the threat? You mean the wordings like these ONE? The lady didn't even grab or touch your child or even you. SO I DO NOT SEE PERSONALLY THE THREAT HERE. I think it is only your imagination that alerted you. If the lady grab a sharp knife or a wooden club maybe it could be a threat but here nothing just empty words. She was allowed because as you stated it is a separate building all together one is a daycare and the other is a welfare program that houses both.

SO YOU ARE ASKING FOR A DEFENSE equipment in cases of attack, why not buy those pepper spray for the eyes. Since you are a woman they mostly sell these to someone like you. A comb with a long thin handle could kill an opponent which you wouldn't want to happen to you going to jail because of these, remember you got a child to support. A scissor is also a deadly thing. Why not JOIN A DEFENSE GROUP FOR WOMEN somewhere in your vicinity. There are lots of groups that teaches self defense the FOUNDAMENTAL OR BASIC in order to escape or to survive & NOT TO KILL.

This is the main point or idea of SELF DEFENSE not to kill but to stop the attackers from its tracks. The first rule is DO NOT SHOW FEAR when confronted by incident like these. The minute the opponent saw you shiver from fear that is the best option he or she got to over come you, but since you taught yourself to overcome fear and have learn the basic skill of self defense use it. That is why you learn it in the first place. The sign of fear are tears in our eyes, that is why you never heard the band who calls themselves TEARS FOR FEARS.

KARATE means EMPTY HAND in Japanese. And with these hands you can chop/punch/stomp an attacker. A pointing finger can be used to hurt an eye. A chopped from the throat can send a guy grasping for breath. And a kick in the balls can bring down a guy from his two feet. Learn first then you can defend your love ones.

Answer 7

The Phone. Call the police and report this person as a problem and possibly mentally unstable and also possibly a threat to herself and others including your daughter.

Answer 8

go kung fu on him and take his shopping cart

Answer 9

You would stab someone for yelling at you and your daughter? I bet the lady is mentally ill and states cut all kinds of funding for them so they're on the street. Why dont you go to a different day care that's not attached to a welfare office? That'd be the best idea.

Answer 10

Invest in some pepper spray. a pocket knife as long as its in self defense you should be fine

Answer 11

Protect yourself how?  

From the vulgarity, you can't.   The best hope is for the building security/managers to harass her and move her down the street.

From the threat of physical violence?... do WHATEVER YOU DEEM as necessary and prudent to disable her and allow your escape.

Answer 12

That will depend on what the person is trying to do to you or your daughter.  If the person attacks you and you believe your life or the life of your daughter is threatened, you can use deadly force to stop the attack.  Since the vagrants attack might just be hitting at you or something like that, you might want to carry pepper spray (though you might get some in your or your daughters eyes too), or even better, a tazer (not the hand held stun gun, but a tazer that shoots the probes into the person from a distance).

Answer 13

Given that the verbal confrontation was directed towards a young child, it would constitute an assault.  The usual test for assault that is applied is whether the act would induce such apprehension in the mind of a reasonable person. The status of the victim is taken into account. A threat made to a child might be sufficient to constitute an assault, while an identical threat made to an adult might not.

I would contact the local police and make them aware of what happened.